Bowyer, Harvick able to withstand Talladega fury

TALLADEGA, Ala. -- It's not often that a victory burnout comes before the victory is determined. But Clint Bowyer decided he wasn't going to waste a good opportunity to smoke the tires.

"Hell, yeah!" Bowyer said. "Claim that baby before someone else does."

Talladega Video

• Press Pass: Bowyer
• Press Pass: Harvick
• Post-race reactions
• Victory Lane: 'Dega
• Final Laps: Who won?
• Harvick damaged in wreck

After racing at more than 190 mph for much of the afternoon, Bowyer was parked on pit road when word came down from NASCAR officials that he was finally and officially declared the winner of Sunday's Amp Energy Juice 500.

It took several minutes to check the videotape frame-by-frame to determine when the caution light was displayed after A.J. Allmendinger flipped and triggered a multi-car accident just seconds after the leaders had crossed under the white flag.

Bowyer and Kevin Harvick were side-by-side for the lead, and both believed they had a rightful claim to the crown as the cars slowed back to the start/finish stripe. The two teammates then pulled down onto the apron in Turn 1, with Harvick sitting and watching Bowyer's burnout.

"You know, it was so close because we didn't know where the caution had come out," Harvick said. "I was pretty confident that I beat him to the start/finish line. But you just never know where the caution flew.

"Heck, I honestly didn't even know the caution was out until halfway through Turns 1 and 2. They probably told me on the radio. But at that point you're so in tune with what's going on, trying to focus on when you got a guy behind you pushing you. You got to hold the wheel straight."

The two drove close enough to each other to exchange handshakes, all the time awaiting a ruling from the sanctioning body. Bowyer eventually drove down pit road, getting congratulations from several crewmembers before the verdict was finally announced.

Shove truly came to push in the closing laps, and neither Bowyer nor Harvick would have been where they wound up without the assistance of drafting help.

For Bowyer, it was Juan Montoya. When the race restarted with four laps remaining following a debris caution, Bowyer was boosted into the lead by Montoya, who had his own plans to occupy the top spot with some good fortune.

"You know you've got to hook two cars up," Montoya said. "At that point, I was the pusher. I couldn't really wait for the guy behind me to push me.

"It makes sense to try and win the race. The best chance I had to win the race was to push Bowyer up front and then when we got to the front of the line, try to make a move." (Continued)